Got Warrants? Hazelwood Courts Might Forgive Them

Hazelwood is offering people that may have outstanding warrants an opportunity to clear the record.

As part of "Family Week 2011," Better Family Life (BFL) will be hosting workshops for the St. Louis Metropolitan Area Amnesty Project at three locations on the following dates:

• Aug. 6: St. Louis Community College at Meramec Gymnasium, 11333 Big Bend Blvd., 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
• Aug. 10: The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Blvd., 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
• Aug. 13: St. Louis Community College at Forest Park Theater, 5600 Oakland Ave., 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.

To qualify, citizens must attend one of these brief, 10-minute workshops and pay a $10 processing fee to obtain an amnesty voucher.

The wanted individual is then required to take the amnesty voucher and report to the Hazelwood Court Division, or to any other municipal court where they have an outstanding misdemeanor warrant issued against them.

"This 'Amnesty Project' provides a great opportunity for someone to correct a mistake they may have made by failing to appear in court for a traffic violation which caused a warrant to be issued," said Ginny Lorton, court administrator for the City of Hazelwood in a statement. "Some of these individuals may not even know they have outstanding warrants on them from one or more municipalities."

The voucher redemption period for the is from August 15 to August 31. Operating hours of the Hazelwood Court Division are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Citizens must pay $100 in cash or money order for a bond which lifts the warrant. They will be required to return for another court date in October when the Judge will dispose of the matter.

"Outstanding warrants often create barriers for people such as finding employment, enrolling in college or trade school, getting an apartment, or applying for financial aid because having a clean police record is a requirement," Lorton said. "By participating in this program, people can get these warrants erased from their record which can help improve the quality of their life."

Last year, James Clark, BFL’s vice president of Community Outreach, said they distributed over 14,000 vouchers. This year, with a new partnership with the St. Louis Community College, they hope to help even more individuals, he said.

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that the amnesty voucher processing fee was $100, with a subsequent $100 bond to lift the warrant. The processing fee is actually $10, with a subsequent $100 bond.